The acquisition craze continues into 2023. While this time it isn’t Microsoft buying a major game developer, this latest acquisition is Microsoft-related. Today Chinese internet technology company NetEase announced that their gaming division, NetEase Games, has acquired Canadian studio Skybox Labs.
If you haven’t heard of Skybox Labs, the studio has worked on some pretty big Xbox titles including Minecraft, Fallout 76, Age of Empires and Halo Infinite as a co-developer. Skybox Labs had previously developed two original titles: TASTEE: Lethal Tactics and Stela.
According to the announcement post, “SkyBox Labs will continue to operate independently within NetEase Games under the leadership of its three co-founders Shyang Kong, Derek MacNeil and Steven Silvester, and provide a full range of game development services to current and future partners.”
Simon Zhu, an executive at NetEase Games, had this to say,
We are thrilled to welcome SkyBox Labs to the NetEase Games family and are committed to creating an environment that allows them to thrive and operate independently as a game studio. We were impressed with their extensive experience in game development and are great admirers of their past work on some of the world’s leading franchises. We look forward to working with the SkyBox Labs co-founders and providing the resources needed to help them grow their presence in Canada as they continue to support top creators around the world in developing unforgettable gaming experiences for players.
NetEase Games has already had a taste of success in the console gaming space with Naraka: Bladepoint. It is emerging as a rival to another Chinese gaming giant, Tencent Games.
Via Pure Xbox.
Featured image via Video Games Chronicle.
